CH 25

26TH FEB 2023~SV

A familiar sneer rang out beside his ear.

The most delicious prey???

Wen Qing was scared by 001’s words. The tears flowed out more fiercely.

He cried for a while. The panel displaying his personal information suddenly switched to another interface—— 【 Welcome player to the World’s mall. 】

Wen Qing was stunned for a moment, then he heard 001 say: 【 Opened the mall, 100 points deducted. 】

???

Why could this system simply spend his money?

Wen Qing’s lips slightly trembled. Tearfully, he said, “Really, thank- thank you……”

Could he apply for another system?

【 You cannot. 】001 said.

Wen Qing paused. His eyes abruptly widened. “You- you know what I’m thinking about?”

001: 【 Mm. 】

Wen Qing burst into tears. He thought, 001 must’ve heard his complaints, so became angry and then spent his money.

This wasn’t his personal system, this was his personal ancestor……

Thinking about this, Wen Qing quickly rubbed his eyes, halted his thoughts and forced himself to silently praise in his heart, it really was his personalised system…

He didn’t dare to think about it anymore. He emptied his mind and looked at the mall that cost a hundred points to open up.

There was a scrolling announcement with a red background at the top: 【 Friendly reminder: slaughter is forbidden in the World! May players please actively participate in the games! 】

Wen Qing lowered his head and stared at the goods in the mall.

【 Purified water: 2 points. 】

【 Instant noodles: 3 points. 】

【 Small knife: 20 points. 】

…………

The prices were similar to those in the real world, and the items purchased in the mall could appear directly in the residence without having to go out.

Wen Qing looked until the bottom of the mall, but found nothing other than daily necessities.

This mall felt like a normal online supermarket.

He softly asked 001:【 Can’t I buy props or something? 】

001:【 Props and buffs are only dropped in instances. They cannot be purchased. 】

“Okay.” Wen Qing hummed. He slowly rose from the ground, washed his face, and walked around the rooms. 

In the refrigerator in the kitchen, there were drinks, fruits and vegetables, fast food, etc, everything that someone could wish for. The wardrobe in the bedroom was full of clothes, and the bathroom was fully equipped with all the necessities.

Wen Qing was a little flustered at the fact that the housing materials were so complete. He touched this, touched that, looked at their prices in the mall, and cautiously asked, “Were these things bought with my points?”

001: 【 They aren’t. 】

Those things came along with the house.

Wen Qing sighed in relief. His downcast mood eased a lot.

He cooked a bowl of dumplings, and after eating and drinking his fill, he got into the quilt, covered his head, and slept.

****

Wen Qing sheltered in the house for six whole days, never going out.

It wasn’t until the last day did he put on a face mask and hat and strolled down the streets.

There were many people wearing masks and face masks on the streets. His attire wasn’t unexpected.

Some of the shops on the streets were unmanned self-services. Some had customer service personnel and shopping assistants. Wen Qing found a small restaurant with the largest number of people, and stayed in the crowd for one minute before his visa expired, then he went into the new instance.

This time, he didn’t go to the rooftop. Instead, he directly entered the world of the instance.

There was a school in front of him, with a school plaque at the school gate that had three big golden characters written on it — Seminary.

Seeing the “god” character, Wen Qing suddenly had a bad premonition.

Sure enough, in the next second, he heard the voice of the system.

【 God-level instance Seminary has been officially opened. 】

【 The celebration of God’s birthday is six days later, and the seminary is short of manpower. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the sacrificial activities on God’s birthday, an exception has been made for mid-term enrolment. The seminary has strict requirements, so you must pay attention to the school rules. 】

【 Main task: survive for seven days. 】

【 Advanced task: figure out the hidden secrets of the seminary. 】

Hearing that it was another god-level instance, Wen Qing’s face paled.

He- he was already unlucky a long time ago……

Wen Qing’s mind was a mess. He didn’t even notice that one of the players was staring at him.

“B- brother Bai…” a slender boy walked up to a man.

Bai Tong glanced at the boy who took the initiative to come over, and responded perfunctorily.

“Brother Bai, the first time I cleared an instance, you’ve helped me before when I came to the World…”

Bai Tong tilted his head, noticing the flattering and seductive look in the boy’s eyes.

Seeing the other party looking at him, the boy’s eyes lit up. He stretched out a hand to hook the back of Bai Tong’s hand seductively. “Brother Bai, it also counts as destiny that we can enter an instance…”

Bai Tong’s expression turned cold. He frowned and widened the distance between the two of them. He didn’t wait for the boy to finish speaking before turning and walking towards Wen Qing.

He walked up to Wen Qing, only to see that Wen Qing’s eyes were dazed. He (BT) didn’t know what he (WQ) was thinking about, not noticing his approach at all.

Bai Tong chuckled lightly. He lifted a hand to touch his peaked hat, and said with a smile, “You still dare to be in a daze when you enter the instance?”

Wen Qing came back to his senses. He hadn’t seen who the person in front of him was before he dodged aside, like a frightened bird.

Bai Tong raised his eyebrows. “You’ve forgotten so quickly?”

It was only then that Wen Qing noticed that the person in front of him was Bai Tong. His eyes widened in surprise. Unexpectedly, he had met an acquaintance in this instance.

“You- you… what a coincidence.”

“It’s quite a coincidence.” Bai Tong lowered his eyes. Wen Qing wore a face mask and a hat, only revealing his beautiful eyebrows and eyes. His extremely light pupils seemed like transparent glass beads under the sunlight.

Wen Qing looked up at him. He hesitated for a moment and softly said, “That… does the newcomer’s guide still count?”

“I- I can give more points.”

The smile on Bai Tong’s face faded. After a while, he questioned, “What do you want to ask?”

“Or…” he paused, and his voice grew colder. “What do you want me to do?”

Wen Qing was stunned for a moment. He could command people with one point?

Without thinking about it too much, he asked, “What does that advanced task mean? Do you need to do it?”

Bai Tong didn’t expect it to be such a simple question. He was silent for a moment, and asked back, “Didn’t the system tell you?”

Wen Qing nodded, then shook his head, and whispered, “I don’t dare to ask…”

He didn’t dare to ask his ancestor…

Bai Tong lowered his head and saw the red tips of Wen Qing’s ears. He didn’t know if it was because of embarrassment or anxiety.

He explained, “Complete the main task to clear the instance, and complete the advanced task to clear the instance in advance; you won’t need to survive for seven days, and there will be additional rewards.”

Wen Qing exhaled. “Thankfully, the main task is easy.”

Anyway, it was impossible for him to complete the advanced task.

Bai Tong eyed him. “Why would the task of a god-level instance be easy?”

With a blank face, Wen Qing parroted his words. “Why?”

Bai Tong sighed helplessly. “The easier the task, the more dangerous the instance.”

This instance was so dangerous that the player only needed to survive.

Wen Qing’s eyes blacked out. Then how difficult is this instance?!

He couldn’t even understand the easy ones, much less the difficult ones.

Seeing that his eyes were a little out of focus, and he was clearly thinking about something, Bai Tong asked, “Do you have anything else to say?”

Wen Qing seemed confused. He thought about it for a while, and tentatively said, “Thank you for letting me know?”

Staring at his crystal clear eyes, Bai Tong couldn’t help but let out a low laugh.

Wen Qing was a little confused. What’s so funny about my words just now?

Suddenly, the voices of the players around suddenly grew quieter.

Wen Qing raised his eyes, and saw a man and a woman walk out from the school.

They were about the same age, in their thirties. They were dressed in ordinary shirts and professional attire, and looked like ordinary school teachers.

The man walked straight up to everyone. He smiled and said, “You must be the new students, follow me inside first.”

Everyone glanced at each other and followed up.

The building of this seminary was similar to that of an ordinary school. There were several similar buildings, as well as a steeple building that looked like a church. There were large and small sculptures of angels everywhere in the school, on the lawn, on the roadside, and in front of the buildings.

Wen Qing took a second look at these angel sculptures. The sculptures were spotless, without a single stain on them, but the base of the sculptures were entwined in rings by green vines.

“My surname is Chen. You can call me Mr. Chen,” the male teacher suddenly said. “Seminaries are different from ordinary schools. They are protected by God, so every student must be tested before entering the school.”

As soon as his voice fell, the expressions of the players changed.

Troubles started emerging in less than five minutes after entering the instance.

Wen Qing also raised his eyelids and looked at Mr. Chen nervously. 

“Mr. Chen, what is the entrance test?” Bai Tong questioned.

Mr. Chen cheerfully explained, “This is a seminary. You will go to the temple to test your fate with God, of course.”

Hearing these words, Wen Qing’s face paled.

He was done for, he still had the Guide buff on him.

Would he be directly eaten later?

【 You won’t. 】a cold voice suddenly sounded inside his mind.

Wen Qing was taken aback. He stood stiffly on the spot before slowly reacting. This was 001, not the main system.

001 coldly said:【 Guide buff: all inhuman beings will have a good impression of you. 】

Wen Qing understood. All inhuman beings will have a good impression towards him, taking the entrance exam and God’s fate.

Then he should be able to pass the test, right?

Thinking up to this point, he was a little relieved.

“Teacher, how is the test done in the entrance test?”

Mr. Chen patiently explained, “Naturally, it will be determined by God.”

Perhaps seeing everyone’s worries, he smiled and said, “God favours young humans the most. You are all at your best ages right now, so there’s no need to worry.”

Wen Qing was slightly stunned. God favours young humans the most…..

Was this sentence universal in the instances?

Seeing that Wen Qing suddenly fell to the back of the line, Bai Tong stopped and waited until he was by his side, then he casually asked, “How old are you?”

Wen Qing whispered, “Twenty.”

“I’m twenty seven, older than you.” Bai Tong said. 

Wen Qing tilted his head blankly. He looked at Bai Tong’s handsome side profile and slowly comforted, “You aren’t old, you’re only twenty seven.”

Bai Tong was a little taken aback. He continued, “If someone needs to die, I will die first, so don’t be so afraid.”

Wen Qing froze for a moment. Then, he realised he (BT) was comforting him (WQ), and softly thanked him.

Mr. Chen brought everyone across the campus and into the steeple temple that seemed like a church.

The temple looked like a large auditorium, but there were no tables and chairs inside. Rather, it was empty, with only an enormous white statue about four or five meters high in the center. There was also a two meter high round platform in front of the sculpture, which seemed to be for people to pray.

The moment he saw the idol, Mr. Chen bowed his head in awe. He folded his hands in front of his chest and prayed, “This is the God the school serves.”

Wen Qing followed Mr. Chen’s example and bowed his head.

The closer you get, the more you could see the details of the sculpture. It wasn’t made out of any random material, and the muscle texture of the sculpture was extremely realistic and lifelike.

Someone couldn’t help but ask, “Teacher, how do you test?”

Mr. Chen didn’t explain, and led everyone up to the high platform. The high platform was not empty. There was a stone tablet.

Half of the stone tablet was engraved with names.

Mr. Chen pointed to the blank space on the stone tablet and told everyone, “Carve your name and God will announce the answer.”

Everyone glanced at each other. Nobody dared to be the first to step forward.

After a while, Bai Tong was the first to step forward. He carved a white character on the stone tablet.

He rose and put down the stone carving knife, when Mr. Chen’s expression suddenly turned cold. He warned, “God knows everything.”

“Don’t try to play petty tricks.”

Bai Tong frowned.

“Write your full name,” Mr. Chen stated with a sombre appearance, entirely without his previously amiable appearance. He turned around, looked at the crowd, and sharply said, “You haven’t formally entered school yet, so you won’t be held accountable this time.”

“This kind of thing should not be an example!”

Bai Tong frowned, and slowly carved his full name.

Not long after, a gust of wind blew.

The windows in the temple weren’t open. The gust of wind was very abnormal.

Everyone was terrified. Teacher Chen slightly relaxed, and said, “The next classmate.”

“Next.”

“Next.”

…………

While looking at the other players, Wen Qing counted them. He saw a foreigner when he counted to ten, with blond hair and blue eyes, deep features and a cold expression.

The man stood where he was, eyes downcast and not moving at all.

Mr. Chen shouted, “Student, it’s your turn.”

The man remained still.

Wen Qing blinked, and couldn’t help but ask Bai Tong quietly, “Um… can foreigners understand Chinese?”

Bai Tong burst out laughing. “Did you never go out?”

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible to ask this kind of obvious question.

Wen Qing was a little lost.

Bai Tong whispered, “In this world, there aren’t any barriers to communication between people.”

Wen Qing pondered for a while before he understood.

The language they spoke was not necessarily the same language that others heard.

In short, language wasn’t a problem in this game world.

Wen Qing his head and met the mixed race’s dark green eyes. His eyes. The irises were green, and the pupils in the center were pitch black, like the eyes of a beast.

Wen Qing instinctively felt danger, and hurriedly withdrew his gaze.

The man walked forward and expressionlessly carved his name.

A gust of wind blew.

Mr. Chen: “Very good, next.”

After watching for a while, Wen Qing noticed that different people would have different degrees of wind, some big and some small. Seeing Mr. Chen’s reaction, it seemed like a little more wind would be better.

Soon, it was Wen Qing’s turn.

He stepped forward and picked up the stone carving knife.

The idol’s eyes were closed, and his body was naked. You could clearly see his muscles and his “giant” three inches below his navel.

As soon as Wen Qing raised his eyes, he faced the shockingly realistic organs.

He quickly lowered his head and silently told himself in his heart, this is art, this is art……

Holding the stone carving knife, Wen Qing slowly carved his name, stroke by stroke.

The moment the last stroke was made, the rustling sounds of the players behind him disappeared, and the temple became extremely silent, so silent that Wen Qing could hear his own heartbeat.

What happened?

His heartbeat suddenly accelerated. He cautiously tilted his head, only to see Teacher Chen’s distorted expression of excitement.

On the contrary, the players were terrified and ashen-faced.

Wen Qing’s eyelashes trembled. Slowly, he raised his eyes.

At some point, the idol had lowered its head. Its eyelids slowly lifted, revealing a pair of eyes that seemed to be from a living person, in sharp contrast with the bottomless pupils staring straight at him.

Vaguely, Wen Qing seemed to hear a familiar sneer ring out beside his ear.

SV: hey, this is the first time i’ve seen the concept of advanced tasks! also… “Anyway, it was impossible for him to complete the advanced task.” that’s foreshadowing if I’ve ever seen one.

“Familiar sneer”… Yu Xing?